Where Is the Alacritty Config File?
Alacritty alacritty.toml config file on Windows, macOS and Linux, including the legacy yml name.
Last updated
Alacritty reads a single TOML file from the OS config directory. Older guides reference alacritty.yml, which current versions no longer load.
The yml-to-toml rename is the top gotcha. If settings vanish after an upgrade, check the filename before anything else.
Where Alacritty stores this, by platform
%APPDATA%\alacritty\alacritty.toml
Current filename is alacritty.toml. Legacy alacritty.yml in the same folder is ignored by new versions.
~/.config/alacritty/alacritty.toml
Same filename. Use Go to Folder in Finder to reach .config.
~/.config/alacritty/alacritty.toml
Standard XDG location. One file holds fonts, colors, bindings and window options.
Frequently asked questions
My old alacritty.yml stopped working. Why?
Rename it to alacritty.toml or let a new Alacritty version migrate it. Current releases read TOML; old YAML files are ignored, which looks like a settings wipe.
How do I test a config without replacing mine?
Run alacritty --config-file with an explicit path. Handy for testing themes without touching the live config.
Notice an outdated path? Let us know.